“She was really a pioneer,” said her husband, William Fox. “When the academy became open to the first class of women, she just jumped at the chance to do that.”

After earning a medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, Fox served as a flight surgeon and flew on F-15 and F-16 aircraft.

In her role as a flight surgeon, Fox was responsible for monitoring pilots' health and the effects of altitude.

Fox served during Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning a Bronze Star for her part in forming the conflict's first medical facility within Baghdad International Airport.

“It was a pretty interesting experience for her. I know it was a challenge to start from scratch, and to get everything rolled out, but that was the type of thing that she really embraced and did very well,” William Fox said.

“If you presented her with a problem, she was going to embrace it and find a solution for it,” he said.

After attaining the rank of colonel, Fox worked as a consultant at Brooks AFB, where she determined medical eligibility of airmen.

She also served as a commander at Randolph AFB, overseeing its medical departments.

After retiring from the military, Fox chose to continue her service to medicine in the civilian world. She accepted the position of medical director for Eagle Applied Sciences. She remained with the company until health issues forced her to take an indefinite medical leave.

Once she received her cancer diagnosis, Fox recommitted herself to her faith and set out to live each day to the fullest, her husband said.

“We didn't know the amount of time we had left, so we just tried to make the most of every day. When we got a day, we took full advantage of it,” he said.

They spent their days traveling to destinations they always wanted to visit and sharing time with family.

Fox learned to quilt, as a means to keep herself busy, because she could no longer work. She gave blankets as gifts to loved ones.

“The words that come to mind to describe her, particularly with the battle with cancer, are courageous and inspirational,” her husband said. “She was quite a lady.”